A heavy track would rule topweight Boban out of the Doncaster Mile with Chris Waller adamant that was the reason for his last-start failure.
Light rain fell steadily in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Thursday afternoon with more expected in the following 24 hours which would tip Randwick into the heavy range.
But even if he is forced to withdraw triple Group One winner Boban, Waller has another five horses primed to give him a fourth win in the race which kick-started his Group One career when Triple Honour triumphed six years ago.
Boban, the one-time Doncaster favourite, is out to $16 after his seventh in the George Ryder Stakes on a slow track, his third attempt on a rain affected surface.
“That was conclusive,” Waller said.
“He didn’t handle it and I doubt he would run on a heavy track.
“We would wait another week to the Queen Elizabeth.”
Waller is upbeat about his other runners, finding it hard to split them with bookmakers firming French import Weary to second favourite after his win in last week’s Prelude .
“Weary has a sense of timing about him and he won the Prelude in the wet,” he said.
“Maybe we will look back on the race and think it was obvious.”
Messene has eased to $4 to give the Hawkes family training partnership its second major win in consecutive weeks following the Golden Slipper triumph of Mossfun.
Weary is at $6 and his stablemate Hawkspur is now an $8 chance after drawing barrier eight.
The 2013 Queensland Derby winner was a solid fourth in the Ranvet Stakes (2000m) behind Silent Achiever, a run that pleased his trainer.
“The Ranvet is a good seasoning race for a race like the Doncaster,” Waller said.
“He has handled the wet before, he has won over the Randwick mile before and he has not drawn too badly.
Last year’s Doncaster winner Sacred Falls is on the fourth line of betting at $13 with 2013 ATC Oaks winner Royal Descent at $15.
“Sacred Falls has been set for the race as has Royal Descent. She goes into the race third-up which is the same as when she was a close second in the George Main in the spring.”
My Kingdom Of Fife rounds out the stable’s runners as the 2011 Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner continues his comeback from a long injury lay-off.
He beat just one runner in the George Ryder but Waller took positives out of his effort.
“I was a bit disappointed initially but Nash Rawiller got off and said it was a great run,” he said.
“He was second-up which sometimes tells on them and we know he handles the wet.”
While they can’t all win, plans are for most of the team to get a second chance at a Group One during The Championships the following week in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
